Curbside source separation is one step in comprehensive waste control. In order to remove and to re-use as much material in the waste stream, separate collection of newspapers, glass bottles, plastic containers, metal cans and, ultimately other marketable materials, must be carried out with vehicles (trucks) of special construction capable of separately storing the collected materials.
One presently known truck consists of an enclosed compartmentalized body mounted on a low entry walk-in cab with dual left and right hand driving controls to facilitate the use of a one-person crew. Although this vehicle is capable of an adequate job, it has been found that the loading height on the side of the vehicle is too high, making it difficult for the collector to place the materials in the truck body.
Another known vehicle consists of a totally enclosed compartmentalized self-dumping unit installed on a standard chassis. The body is a steel structure with center hung adjustable partitions. The truck is equipped with an hydraulic lifting rail running the length of the body. Laterally movable metal boxes are secured to the rail and positioned in relationship to the partitions in the body. The collected materials are placed in the metal boxes and are mechanically lifted and emptied into the truck. When the loading rail reaches the top of the body, the roof opens at a 45.degree. angle. The lifting rail continues over the top of the body and the boxes are dumped down into the body. This unit eliminates two of the disadvantages of existing recycling vehicles: the high loading height and the fixed vertical posts between the side hatches are avoided. However, one disadvantage of this unit is the heigth of the roof when it is in the open position and which is a source of problems because of low hanging wires and branches in streets. The discharging of the collection of the material on all known units is carried out by opening one or two rear panels, each compartment being discharged separately by removing sequentially the dividing walls defining the compartments. This operation requires a minimum of four backing-up manoeuvres.